Graduate Certificate of Public Accounting
2025 Deakin University Handbook
| Year | 2026 course information |
|---|---|
| Award granted | Graduate Certificate of Public Accounting |
| Deakin course code | M512 |
| Course Credit Points | 4 |
| Course version | 1 |
| Faculty | Faculty of Business and Law |
| Course Information | For students who commenced from 2021 onwards |
| Final Intake | Offered to continuing students only. The final intake to this course was in Trimester 3, 2025. Students should contact Student Central for course, course map and enrolment information. Further course structure information can be found in the handbook archive. |
| Duration | 0.5 year full-time or part-time equivalent |
| Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition | The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 8 |
Course sub-headings
- Course overview
- Indicative student workload
- Professional recognition
- Career opportunities
- Participation requirements
- Mandatory student checks
- Course Learning Outcomes
- Course rules
- Course structure
- Work experience
- Fees and charges
Course overview
Take your finance and accounting skills to the next level with Deakin’s Graduate Certificate of Public Accounting. Whether you're seeking a career change, a boost to your existing skillset or looking to gain the expertise required to secure a management role, this course will prepare you to make an impact. With finance jobs expected to increase by 15.5% and accounting jobs by 8.6% by 2034*, secure your future in a rapidly growing sector.
Ready to advance your accounting or finance career in a growing industry?
Develop the in-demand skills and professional recognition required to thrive in accounting and finance. Tailor your learning to your career goals with a range of course electives in accounting, tax law and financial planning. Learn from industry experts while gaining the practical skills and knowledge needed for the next step in your career.
This course offers a pathway into Deakin's Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, subject to satisfying other program requirements.
*2024 Employment Projections for the ten years to 2034, Job Skills Australia
Indicative student workload
You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, online interactions, or professional experiences for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Professional recognition
Completion of the appropriate selection of units within the Graduate Certificate of Public Accounting grants eligibility to higher professional membership levels as administered by the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA). To complete the Graduate Certificate, you must complete one ethics course elective (either MAA769/MAI769 or MAA763*), and three additional course elective units from the range agreed by the IPA.
Students are advised to choose course elective subjects that best suit their personal and professional development needs and provide the potential to contribute towards any relevant professional requirements (e.g. financial advisers)
In this course you will choose four elective units, including an ethics unit in keeping with the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) move to bolster ethics training requirements. Depending on the entry pathway, the ethics unit meets both Financial Adviser Standards (FAS) and the Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board (APESB) ethics requirements.
*MAA763 is not accredited by FAS.
Career opportunities
Graduates of this course are often professionals already employed and seeking to broaden their career opportunities or move into more specialised roles. With strong demand projected for accounting and finance professionals, this course can support career progression in areas such as:
- financial accounting
- financial planning and advising
- taxation – auditing and business consulting.
Participation requirements
Units in this course may have participation requirements that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.
Placement can occur at any time, including during standard holiday breaks. Learn about key dates at Deakin.Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.
Mandatory student checks
Units which contain work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. These requirements will be detailed in unit guides upon enrolment.
Course Learning Outcomes
| Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities | Demonstrate conceptual knowledge on accounting and ethical theories and principles to public accounting practice and business decision models |
| Communication | Communicate the merits of alternate solutions to real-world business issues with reference to relevant accounting and ethical standards |
| Digital literacy | Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award |
| Critical thinking | Critically analyse, evaluate and synthesise information in the application of accounting frameworks for business decision making |
| Problem solving | Determine ways to resolve a firm’s financial constraints through appropriate match with the theoretical solutions |
| Self-management | Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award |
| Teamwork | Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award |
| Global citizenship | Not explicitly addressed as a learning outcome in this award |
Course rules
To complete the Graduate Certificate of Public Accounting you must pass 4 credit points. this includes:
- DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in your first study period
- 4 credit points of course elective units.
Most units are equal to one credit point.
Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements.
Course structure
Compulsory 0-credit point module
To be completed in the first trimester of study:-
| DAI001 | Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin |
Course electives
Ethics course electives:
Complete 1 unit from:
| MAI769/MAA769 | Ethics for Financial Services ^* |
or
| MAA763 | Governance and Fraud |
*Students requiring FAS accreditation must complete MAI769 or MAA769.
Plus
Complete 3 units chosen from any of the following units listed below:
(Note: for ease of reference units are grouped into accounting, tax law and financial planning electives)
Accounting course electives:
| MAA701 | Accounting |
| MAF752 | Principles of Finance |
| MAA789 | Accounting Systems and Analytics |
| MAA703 | Accounting for Management |
| MAA705 | Corporate Auditing |
| MAA716 | Financial Accounting |
| MAA725 | Advanced Accounting Principles and Practice |
Tax Law course electives:
| MLC707 | Business Law |
| MLC703 | Principles of Income Tax Law |
| MLC709 | Business Taxation Law and Policy |
Financial Planning course electives:
| MAA745 | Financial Planning and Economic Fundamentals |
| MAA719 | Superannuation and Retirement Planning |
| MAI728/MAA728 | Financial Behaviour and Decision Making ^ |
| MAA727 | Financial Planning Development |
^MAI and MLI code denotes Intensive versions of the units.
Work experience
This course does not require students to complete compulsory work integrated learning units.
Course duration
Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.
Fees and charges
Tuition fees will vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, your study load and/or unit discipline.
Your tuition fees will increase annually at the start of each calendar year. All fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD) and do not include additional costs such as textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment, mandatory checks, travel, consumables and other costs.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.
Further information
Contact Student Central for assistance in course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements. Student Central can also provide information for a wide range of services at Deakin. To help you understand the University vocabulary, please refer to our Enrolment codes and terminology page.